Nickey Huang (above) recently completed a community IPPE rotation at Vons Pharmacy at Liberty Station with Dr. Charlton Chuang.

What did you like most about this rotation?

During my rotation, I was able to expand my pharmacy knowledge by participating in every step of the workflow. I was involved in technician and pharmacist tasks including receiving and filling prescriptions, contacting prescriber offices and educating patients on their medications. Through my experiences, I obtained insights on how the pharmacy operate and the importance of each pharmacy staff member.

What was the most unique aspect of this rotation?

The pharmacy provided many specialty services including prescribing contraceptives, travel health consultation and specialty shots. I was able to participate in the process of interviewing patients interested in receiving these services and this experience provided me with a better understanding of pharmacist’s important role in improving healthcare accessibility in a community setting.

Explain how the team and facility enhanced your learning experience.

Every staff member on the pharmacy team was very approachable and helpful when I had questions. Besides showing me how the pharmacy operates, they were also very passionate about explaining to me the reasons why we are performing certain tasks in that specific way.

What advice would you give to preceptors of pharmacy students?

One of the most important things that students would appreciate is when the preceptors are open to questions and willing to take some time to explain the little details to us. Many things that seem routine to the pharmacists may be very new for a student who has minimum exposure to the workflow of pharmacists. We as students may have never seen how to check for Cures or transfer a prescription and this could be very eye opening to us.

What skills or knowledge will you take from this rotation that you believe you can apply to other professional areas (career, academics, etc...)?

During this rotation, I was able to learn how to perform medication consultations and conduct patient interviews. This practice helped me refine my communication and critical thinking skills during patient interactions. When filling prescriptions, the preceptors would also explain to me some of the common drug indications, interactions, and adverse effects. I believe these knowledge and skills that I gained from the rotation will be essential for my future rotations and practices.